Friday, March 30, 2018

Trump Is Not Blameless in the Spending-Bill Disaster

It’s not true that Trump was tricked or betrayed into signing the omnibus.

President Trump signed the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending deal on Friday, averting another government shutdown. Written largely in secret and passed without any time to read its 2,232 pages, the bill violated pretty much everything the GOP had promised about reforming the process of legislating.

But the sausage was even uglier than the sausage-making. For conservatives, with the exception of a large increase in defense spending, the bill is a hot mess. It raises discretionary spending 13 percent, advances almost no GOP domestic priorities while fulfilling many Democratic ones. There’s a pittance for border security and some new fencing, but nothing for the president’s coveted “big, beautiful wall.”

It was reportedly this fact that prompted Trump to tweet a veto threat on Friday morning, sending White House and Hill staffers scrambling.

Then, in a shambolic press conference cum signing ceremony later that day, he grudgingly said he’d sign what he called “crazy” legislation. But, he added, he would “never” sign another bill like this again. The key message of the day: It’s not my fault!